
In the not very distant future, the Beach Cities may no longer have beaches.
Climatologists are projecting that in coming decades, the beaches of the South Bay and the first block of homes and development could be inundated by storm surges hugely intensified by increases in sea level.
Such scenarios are part of global climate changes that last month reached a watershed moment when scientists reported that a swath of the West Antarctic ice sheet has begun an irreversible melting which will raise global sea level by at least 2 feet by 2050, and 10 feet or more in coming centuries.
Researchers at UCLA and USC are creating climate models that will help make sense of how climate change will affect the Los Angeles region and its coastal communities on a local level. Two South Bay cities are already launching groundbreaking initiatives that, if fully actualized, will set the bar for municipal policy addressing climate change in cities around the world.


